Rate this book

Seks & Stravinsky (2010)

by Barbara Trapido(Favorite Author)

3.43 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Eesti Raamat

review 1: In an aim to support South Africa authors, our book club chose this book on a whim from a list of work by the author. The title was the swing vote, and as a result I thought it would be a bit more fun, a bit more frivolous. I battled to get into this, mainly becauseI found all the characters a little irritating and the ending really disappointed me. It was like tying a shoelace, or rather putting on ballet pumps without shoelaces because there were just no loose ends. To me the most interesting component of the story was the mother relationships that unfolded, based on this, the title should have been something more My Mother the non hero/ Oedipus complex/ my mother made me do it. It did have it's moments though, and it was nice to be able to so vividly imagine the set... moreting.
review 2: Oh dear. This was a weird one!It’s not so often that you start a new book and then become totally surprised when it changes genre halfway through.The first half of this book seemed like contemporary fiction (quite likeable), then it changed into chick lit (quite unlikeable) before transforming into the weirdest and most banal brand of young adult fiction (quite unpalatable). Just goes to show that books can uncannily change everything they ever seemed to be about before your very eyes and without any warning.In the stronger first half of the book, Trapido was showing promise to me as a writer and I liked the way she alternated her narration of the story by offering each character their own narrative ‘lens’ in progressive character-centred chapters. This technique waned on me a bit though as the book’s genre seemed to transform and my own belief-factor and enjoyment of the story collapsed by the plotline and characterisation becoming totally implausible. The highly unbelievable theme and plotline of the book deals with characters who, after time and separation, meet again through fate and chance encounters before eventually changing their own fates by making ‘the right choices’ to make themselves happy. Hmmmm – cheese alert – yes I know this sounds (and indeed is) ‘très fromage’. Does the writer really think her readers are so naive and easily pleased?I can’t imagine that you would be too surprised to find out that I’m actually quite happy to have finished this book and it’s one of those lovely little reading cherries that I’ll simply put down to experience – filed under one measly star. Interesting that on the book’s back cover, a (London) Time’s quote labels this book as having ‘flashes of wonderful eccentricity’ – eccentricity strikes me as a mild term that they have used here –perhaps ‘insanity’ could have been a better choice of word, non?Concluding question – “will I read other books by this author?” – concluding answer – “not in a hurry – NO!”Just not recommended - not ever! less

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